Survey of Structurally Deficient Iowa Bridges Includes Corridor Spans

Iowa ranks worst in the nation when it comes to bridges with structural problems.

According to a survey just released by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association nearly 5,000 spans across the state fall into the ‘deficient’ category.

IDOT Planner Catherine Cutler says it’s important to remember all bridges on state highways are inspected and monitored carefully. She says many bridges on the list are in rural areas, have minimal use and can have weight restrictions that farmers and others using them follow. Cutler says it would be misleading to think that the bridges on interstates or state highways which thousands of motorists use every day are in some way dangerous.

“Unfortunately the words structurally deficient may scare people more than they need to. Those bridges are inspected on a yearly basis to make sure they’re sound. Structurally deficient can mean a lot of things, but it doesn’t mean the bridge is in any danger of collapse.“

For a complete list of the bridges tagged in Iowa and other states, click here.